Militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and As-Sham [ISIS] held dozens of Christians remaining in the city of Qara Qosh in the Al-Hamdaneya District of the Nineveh Province [the largest Christian city] of Iraq on Tuesday.
A number of the survivors still in the city told their relatives over the phone that “ISIS militants were holding them captors in the Mar Boules Church Services House”, but later all contact was cut off.
ISIS members had carried out on Saturday, 22nd August, an operation in which they gave Christians of the area of the Nineveh plains which they control an ultimatum, either to convert to Islam and remain in their towns, or leave town.
They all preferred to leave town, after being robbed of all their money, gold jewelry, some even robbed of their personal ID documents, as they arrived at the majority-Christian Ankau city, affiliated to the Irbil province of which are Christians, capital of the Kurdistan territory in Iraq.